Shoes Off Inside with MKT

Daniel Martin is no stranger to the world of celebrity beauty. In fact, the Vietnamese American makeup artist has had a direct impact on the look of many A-listers including Priyanka Chopra, Gemma Chan and Jessica Alba. But perhaps his highest profile client is good friend Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Daniel was responsible for creating a beautifully natural look for Meghan for the royal...

This Thanksgiving season is, like most everything else in 2020, unusually challenging. The pandemic has intensified loss, grief and pain in so many ways. But during these difficult times, we’re are witnessing courage, survival and hope. In this episode, May sits down with someone who is the very symbol of surviving darkness with bravery and strength. Wendy Nguyen, fashion guru and creator of the p...

After two days of feeling relieved that the election was over, the level of anxiety and conflict has shot up once again. President Donald Trump is refusing to concede to Joe Biden, who was declared the winner after surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral votes. Trump has filed lawsuits in several battleground states claiming voter fraud and irregularities. This is delaying the transition of p...

There is no doubt that Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is a hero, a trailblazer and woman of many firsts. First Thai American woman elected to Congress, first person born in Thailand elected to Congress, first woman with a disability elected to Congress, first female double amputee in the Senate, and first senator to give birth while in office. Sen. Duckworth fought on the battlefield because...

With just one week left before Election Day 2020, a record number of voters have already cast their ballots in what is being called the most consequential election of our time. Historically, Asian Americans have had some of the lowest voter turnout, which has been interpreted as apathy and disinterest. But as the fastest growing voting block in the country, AAPIs are more engaged and making a diff...

"The May Lee Show" continues to focus on the upcoming election, which, many say, is the most consequential election of a lifetime. In this episode, May speaks with Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu, one of the few Asian members of the House of Representatives and perhaps, the most vocal especially when it comes to criticizing President Trump. Rep. Lieu is mission focused on calling the Pre...

There are now exactly 3 weeks left before Election Day on November 3 so May wanted to dedicate this episode to what's at stake, what research is telling us and how Asian voters can make a very big difference IF and only if we vote! This election is, perhaps, the most consequential election in modern history and if you don't think it is, think about what we're facing...a continuing w...

The world of hip-hop is often seen as dominated by urban, black men with very few women able to penetrate the inner sanctum. But one Korean-Canadian woman not only got inside, Sophia Chang broke down barriers and was completely and totally embraced by hip-hop. Her work in A&R and marketing with some of the biggest names in music including ODB, RZA, A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan catapul...

Growing up in the giant shadow of the world’s greatest martial artist has and continues to be a journey of discovery on multiple levels for Shannon Lee. As the daughter of Bruce Lee, she has had to process tragic loss at a very young age, fanatical fans of her father, the heartbreaking death of her older brother and her search to finding her own true identity. In this episode, Shannon shares stori...

One of the many downsides of quarantining has been the restrictions on professional grooming. So many of us have not been able to get a hair cut, including May who started referring to herself as “Cousin It” from “The Adams Family”. But recently, one of the hottest celebrity stylists, Anh Co Tran, came to save the day. His jaw-dropping roster of clients includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Aim...

In 2019, the late-night live television sketch comedy show, “Saturday Night Live” added a cast member that drew a collective “Finally!” from the Asian-American community. After a year of cutting his teeth as an SNL writer, Bowen Yang was promoted as a full-time cast member, making him the first Chinese-American to be given that coveted role.  Bowen is also on the hit show “Nora from Queens”, which...

Creating original videos online has never been easier or more popular thanks to the explosion of user friendly apps that are giving anyone and everyone a creative outlet to be seen and heard. Until recently, TikTok seemed to be the only game in town, but fears of privacy breaches and a presidential threat to ban TikTok in the U.S. have helped elevate the app Triller. What started in 2015 as a mode...

Being featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition is, arguably, the most coveted gig to land in the world of modeling and Mia Kang did just that two years in a row. First as winner of SI’s 2016 model search and then being named Rookie of the Year in 2017. But the young British-Korean’s outward beauty did not reflect her painful internal struggles with insecurity and self-hatred, which led...

Korean American singer, songwriter and musician James Lee was well on his way to becoming an established star in Asia when fate took a cruel turn. A horrific accident in Seoul, Korea left James with a nearly severed hand, which changed the trajectory of his personal and professional life. But in the darkest moments, James somehow found slivers of light and much of it came from his love of music. I...

In this episode, May first addresses some of the latest incidents of racism happening across the country and shares her insights and views. Then she gets right into Part 2 of “Dating in the Age of COVID-19”, which focuses on people who have turned crisis into opportunity. May talks to Anna Li, an MBA student who launched a dating service inspired by the Netflix show “Love is Blind”. The results ha...

Has dating become another victim of COVID-19? When everyone is stuck at home how is it even possible to date and build a relationship? Well, May was curious to find out how the pandemic is impacting the world of dating and how people are adjusting to this new normal. In Part 1 of  “Dating in the Time of COVID-19”, May talks with dating expert and co-host of the podcast “Dateable” Yue Xu about the...

Singaporean-American Kevin Kwan, author of best-seller “Crazy Rich Asians”, is on fire! Following the incredible achievement of the movie, not to mention the overall success of the Crazy Rich Asians book trilogy, Kevin is now out with a new book, “Sex and Vanity”. Already a New York Times best-seller, the book delves into familiar topics of snobbery and wealth, but also examines deeper issues of i...

K-pop and social justice...two things that, in the past, would have never been associated with each other, but how things have changed. The growing power of K-pop and its global base of young and tech savvy fans is changing the narrative. Loyal fans of popular groups like BTS are moving beyond the stereotype of the obsessed screaming girl to a place where they have real power and influence to inci...

The notorious Lena Hernandez of Torrance was finally arrested on July 3rd on charges of misdemeanor battery, but she was released the same day after posting a $1 bail. In this episode, May speaks to two of the three victims, Kayceelyn Salminao, who was assaulted last October and Sherry Bulseco, whose park workout turned assault video went viral.  They share their thoughts on the battery charge fil...

The on-going saga of Lena Hernandez and her three victims in Torrance, CA continues. There is still no word on what the Torrance City Attorney plans on doing with the case and it’s up to him to make the decision on whether to file charges against Hernandez or not. The delay and many missteps in dealing with the three cases, especially the physical assault of Kayceelyn Salminao in October of 2019 h...

We are nearly 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, but no where near the end as numbers of cases and deaths continue to rise, especially in the U.S. Some states are experiencing the highest daily number of positive cases and hospitalizations since the pandemic began and now younger people make up more than 40% of new cases. But even with this disturbing trend, there’s a growing number of people wh...

Lena Hernandez is now an infamous figure around the world as videos of her violent verbal assaults against two Asian Americans in Torrance, California went viral. Her racist tirades and death treats sent shock waves throughout the Asian community and beyond, but what added fuel to the fire is the discovery that Hernandez had physically assaulted an Asian American woman last year. However, the case...

Daniel Wu is a groundbreaker, much like his idol Bruce Lee. As an Asian American man, Daniel broke down racial barriers in Hollywood by becoming one of the first Asian leading men in a television series. For three seasons, Daniel was executive producer and star of “Into the Badlands”, a post-apocalyptic martial arts drama. Although Daniel was born and raised in America, it was Hong Kong that helpe...

Bruce Lee is, without a doubt, the most legendary martial arts figure in modern history. During his short life, which ended tragically when he was only 32 years old, Lee, not only transformed the image of traditional Kung Fu into an art form that had a much broader appeal, he also fought to break down racial and cultural barriers at a time when the civil rights movement was growing in the U.S. Lee...

We thought the chaos, confusion and fear caused by COVID-19 was more than we could handle, but then the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota took things to an explosive level. The outrage has swept across the U.S. and the world as the reality of racism in America was made very clear once again. As we experience social unrest, economic turmoil, cultural clashes and political division, so many of us...